# Instant Pho: Green Grease in a packet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884 "2011-02-19T03:57:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/1 "2011-02-19T03:57:48Z")
So I just made myself some instant beef Pho I got from the T&T supermarket, the big oriental grocery store chain they have now in Ontario. I’m crushing on that store kinda hard, not gonna lie. Anyhoo, I’m trying all their different alternatives to ramen noodles, and one of them was beef pho, which I’ve never had in instant form before. It has the normal powdered salt seasoning dealie…as well as dehydrated vegetable fixins. This third packet, however, was this greasy, yellowy greenish goop. Anyone know what that is? I’m at a loss to describe it better. The taste was unlike anything I think I’ve eaten before. The pho, however, seems normal. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/2 "2011-02-19T04:35:57Z")
Pretty much a WAG, but probably fish sauce. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/3 "2011-02-19T07:33:29Z")
Instant pho - is that what you’d call faux pho? ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/4 "2011-02-20T02:23:53Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Instant pho - is that what you’d call faux pho? If you hated it, you’d be a faux pho foe. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/5 "2011-02-20T02:41:19Z")
Oriental? Are you 80 years old? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/6 "2011-02-20T02:45:18Z")
As of late, in the “premium” ramen noodle bowls there is a “flavor packet” that often includes a flavor specific, concentrated oil and spice to be added as a finishing flavor component to the soup, for example, my favorite is a spicy cilantro, chili and tomato packet added to a shrimp ramen. I imagine there is probably some characteristics of pho seasoning in the pho packet… maybe some fermented shrimp solids, cilantro oil, chili, anise, curry paste maybe… I don’t know, I’ve never tried it- what did it taste like? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/7 "2011-02-20T03:36:07Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > Oriental? Are you 80 years old? I’m sure it was said by occident. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/8 "2011-02-20T03:48:26Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > As of late, in the “premium” ramen noodle bowls there is a “flavor packet” that often includes a flavor specific, concentrated oil and spice to be added as a finishing flavor component to the soup, for example, my favorite is a spicy cilantro, chili and tomato packet added to a shrimp ramen. I imagine there is probably some characteristics of pho seasoning in the pho packet… maybe some fermented shrimp solids, cilantro oil, chili, anise, curry paste maybe… I don’t know, I’ve never tried it- what did it taste like? My original quip was that it tasted like cilantro, but then I realized there was a bunch of cilantro in the seasoning packet, so that may have led me astray. The little bit I tasted out of the packet was, well…rather tasteless, TBH… ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/9 "2011-02-20T03:55:07Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > Oriental? Are you 80 years old? I never got what’s wrong with that word. I figure it has something to do with the head tax, since people in the UK use it all the time in their advertisings. Asian is too broad, and well, it’s not just Chinese stuff…it’s from the orient! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/10 "2011-02-20T04:05:43Z")
And if you hated the fact that you had to pay an enormous amount of money for it, you’d be a…Fie (on the) fee pho foe. _ahem_ Okay, I’ll get out of the thread now! 🙂 Q ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/11 "2011-02-20T06:16:15Z")
Wrong thread. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/12 "2011-02-21T21:19:16Z")
I don’t know about your flavor packet, but southern style phở is usually flavored with fish sauce, Saigon cinnamon, star anise, salt, black pepper, and sugar. The northern style is just flavored with fish sauce and maybe some salt. It’s noticeably less sweet. You add to it fresh bean sprouts, sweet basil, and sawtooth coriander. (Not cilantro, but sometimes the sawtooth is called culantro, so that’s confusing.) The southerners also add Sriracha and hoisin sauce. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/13 "2011-02-21T21:49:50Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > . (Not cilantro, but sometimes the sawtooth is called culantro, so that’s confusing.) Culantro and recao are the two most common terms I see around here for that herb. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instant-pho-green-grease-in-a-packet/571884/14 "2011-02-22T05:34:27Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Culantro and recao are the two most common terms I see around here for that herb. But it is related to and does taste like cilantro/coriander herb, lest there be any confusion. I really have no idea what is in this oil, but concentrated oils/herboil as a flavor punch is hardly unusual. In fact it is new and old, hardly uncharted territory… there is no greater carrier of fresh flavors than an infused oil.